Careers

About Us

Are you looking for an opportunity to work in the UK sport and recreation sector and play a leading role in supporting a promoting a network of impactful and inspirational members?

The Sport and Recreation Alliance – the representative body of, and voice for, sport and recreation – is looking for a Policy and Public Affairs Officer to join and help lead our team.

The Sport and Recreation Alliance is the voice of the sport and recreation sector. Since 1935, the Alliance (formerly known as the Central Council of Physical Recreation) has protected and promoted the interests of our vital sector and membership to government, policy makers and the media. We strongly believe in the transformational power of sport and recreation to positively shape lives and help drive societal and economic growth.

Throughout our new strategy cycle, our unwavering focus will be to deliver with and for our members, particularly our National Governing Body members, who play a foundational role in engaging and keeping people in sport and recreation. As a result of our membership review, we have made several changes to the way in which we are structured and how we operate.

We have evolved our membership structures and services to better support our members and strengthen our role as the independent voice for sport and recreation, bringing together sport and National Governing Bodies to reflect and elevate their systemic role in delivering sport.

We are being smarter in the way we work together with our members, collaborating more effectively to identify key priorities and focusing our resources on delivering against these. We are enhancing our communications and engagement with members to increase awareness of and support for the work we and our members are doing. Using our independent voice, we will protect members’ interests with key decision makers and be bold and ambitious in promoting the benefits of sport and recreation and the impact our members have.

We are seeking a Policy and Public Affairs Officer to help drive forward the work of the Alliance, building powerful relationships with our members and advocating for their priorities across Government, Parliament, the media and the wider sports and recreation sector. This role will help support the delivery of our 2025-30 strategy, A United Voice for Sport and Recreation.

 

About The Role

The Policy and Public Affairs Officer will play a crucial role in driving forward the work of the Alliance, building powerful relationships with our members and advocating for their priorities across Government, Parliament, the media and the wider sport and recreation sector.

The Policy and Public Affairs Officer, reporting to the Policy Manager, plays a vital role within the wider Policy and Public Affairs function.

About the Role 

The role combines and requires a mix of strategic thinking and organisation – including the ability to plan ahead, identify challenges and opportunities and advise members and the wider team – with essential policy and public affairs responsibilities, helping to protect and promote members’ interests with key decision makers.

This dynamic role also requires a proactive approach – we are looking for someone who is a motivated self-starter, able to drive our policy and public affairs work across a wide range of areas and passionate about advocating for sport and recreation in Parliament and across Government.

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Policy and Public Affairs Officer works within the Policy and Research and Development Team. The main responsibilities of the role are:

• Working with the team’s Director of Policy and Research, Policy Manager and Head of Public Affairs and Communications to deliver the policy and public affairs elements of the Alliance’s overall organisational strategy and operational plan.
• Supporting the Alliance’s policy work in a range of areas including but not limited to elite and grassroots community sport, tax and regulatory policy, outdoor recreation and the contribution of sport to wider economic, health and social policy objectives.
• Supporting the Alliance’s public affairs work to protect and promote our members’ interests with Government, parliamentarians and external stakeholders; keeping across and advising on policy and public affairs risks and opportunities; and building and maintaining effective networks in Government and Parliament and across the wider political ecosystem.
• Organising and providing secretariat support for internal and external committees and groups, principally the APPG for Sport and Physical Activity but also other groups as required.
• Scrutinising emerging policy and legislative proposals and monitoring policy developments which impact upon the sector and our members and drafting briefings, reports and consultation responses.
• Engaging with our members to understand the key policy issues they face and providing detailed advice and guidance as required.
• Undertaking desk-based research on topical policy issues affecting the sport and recreation sector.
• Developing and maintaining effective relationships in Parliament and with relevant Government departments, agencies and member sport and recreation organisations.
• Assisting with the planning and delivery of Alliance events, governance and research activity as required 

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

Qualifications – Educated to degree level or higher.

Knowledge/experience - The successful candidate is expected to have some experience, knowledge and understanding of one or more of the following areas:

• Policy formulation and the role of national and local government.
• Parliamentary engagement and knowledge of how Westminster and Whitehall operate, in particular knowledge of parliamentary procedure and how best to influence parliamentarians.
• The role of a membership organisation and the challenges of servicing a diverse membership base.
• The role of sport and recreation in promoting physical and mental wellbeing, delivering economic and social value and supporting community cohesion.

Skills – The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate the ability to:

• Read and understand complex documents (e.g. Parliamentary Bills and Acts, governmental strategies and action plans) and distil from these the key implications for Alliance members.
• Critically analyse policy proposals and identify challenges and opportunities for the Alliance and its members.
• Provide effective secretariat support to working groups and committees including preparation of agendas and papers and taking minutes as required.
• Draft concise, accurate and convincing documents (e.g briefings, reports, articles, formal submissions and consultation responses) for a range of audiences including Alliance members, parliamentarians, civil servants and agency colleagues.
• Communicate clearly verbally and in writing with excellent attention to detail – including drafting press releases, briefings and speeches, and with the ability to engage key stakeholders and explain complex issues through written or verbal briefings.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with a range of people at different levels of seniority including parliamentarians, journalists, civil servants and other external stakeholders.
• Respond flexibly to changing priorities, work autonomously and apply careful judgement in pressurised situations.
• Manage a range of tasks effectively, meeting tight deadlines with high quality work.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a membership organisation or trade association or in a broader policy or public affairs role.
• Knowledge of the UK sports sector and the challenges facing different segments of our memberships including national governing bodies (NGBs), charities and voluntary organisations.
• An active interest in sport and recreation.

Further Information

Location

Candidates must be based in the UK and have the existing right to work here. This role requires regular commuting to our Holborn (London) office at least twice per week; therefore, please ensure you are within a commutable distance before applying. 

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity is valued within our team. More than just encouraging your application, we're committed to conscious inclusion that (we hope) cultivates an ethos of belonging, connection and shared purpose. It’s this philosophy that drove us to shape our values and behaviours and we open our doors to those who share those values.

Every role in the Alliance team is open to applications from all sections of society. We believe in the potential of everyone; regardless of race, religion or belief, ethnic origin, different physical ability, family structure, socioeconomics, age, nationality, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other difference that makes you, well, you.

For the team employed at the Alliance, it is more than just a job. The team all want to make a difference. The Alliance may be small, but our work and its impact is far-reaching. Whilst we are focused on meeting targets and delivering outcomes, we know that it is important that people maintain a healthy life-work balance and feel they are looked after.

How to Apply

Previous candidates need not apply

If you are ready to apply now, please send a CV with a covering letter outlining why you want the role and how you meet the role specification. Your covering letter should be 2 sides of A4 maximum. Please send your CV and covering letter to recruitment@sportandrecreation.org.uk.

Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage early applications to avoid disappointment.

For more information, please visit our website:

https://www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/

Or email us:

recruitment@sportandrecreation.org.uk

Apply for role

Closing date: 24th April 2026